Rediscovery of a 22-Million-Year-Old Lost World Destroyed by Volcanic Catastrophe

Scientists at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute have uncovered the fossilized remains of a 22-million-year-old mangrove forest on Barro Colorado Island in the Panama Canal, revealing a species of mangrove, Sonneratioxylon barrocoloradoensis, that no longer exists. The forest's unique conditions and high atmospheric CO2 levels during the Miocene Epoch allowed these trees to thrive until a catastrophic volcanic eruption caused a lahar, leading to their preservation and eventual extinction. This discovery suggests that similar local extinctions due to volcanic activity may have occurred globally.